Great Lakes Adventures

[ThaDium]

I'm going to be sending my PC's to a region of the world where there are two gaint lakes (ala The Great Lakes). What I need is some interesting plot ideas to use as side treks or to weave into my current storyline.

Some things to help you:

-The general world vibe is somewhere between White Wolf's World of Darkness and DnD. Things are dark, but the PC's are heroes. There are shades of grey and they don't always do the right thing, but there are concequences and regret when they make mistakes and they try hard not to.

-It's grim and gritty. More like the current Daredevil books, less like Exiles.

-The magic is controlled. Spells that make things too easy are gone. Teleport, Create food and water, fly, all gone. There will be things that will allow them to breath underwater, however.

-They're in an area of the world dominated by a culture that takes elements from the Middle East, Asia and Native America. Militaristic. Lawful. There's a caste system. Most important, they get their magic from spirits. Mostly ancestors, though sometimes nature.

-The PC's, however, are not from this world. They're from a more classic, european area of the gameworld.

-Halflings are a slave race, but two of the five PC's are halflings.

-There will likely be much trade done across the lakes.

-They will be going to a major port city on the largest lake.

-The Lakes are connected by a river.

-The season will be winter/spring, but don't let that hamper you.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give! I know you guys are full of great ideas.

-ThaDium

 

[Buttercup]

Just off the top of my head, what about an Edmund Fitzgerald type scenario? An important ship has mysteriously disappeared, with all hands and a valuable cargo. What if the relatives of some of the deceased start getting dreams from their ancestors about the ship? Say, the sailors cannot rest until someone is found to locate the ship on the bottom of the lake, and give the dead proper burial.

 

[Tonguez]

Ghost Ships
Islands
Raft Islands
Pirates
Wreckers
Merchants League Blockade of the river access
Freshwater 'Sahuagin'
Merrow
Angry Lake Spirits
Black water (the Ooze)
Black water (the poisoned)
Hags
Warring nations
the annual migration of the water dragons
Offended Lake Naga
The Festival of 10000 lights

really when a lake gets 'that' big it becomes a sea

 

[Desdichado]

Some mysterious "Loch Ness" monster myth and investigation is always good for deep, landlocked freshwater lakes. The threat of a superflood is always fun. Have you ever read about Lake Bonneville?

 

[MarauderX]

They accidently sail through a hag burial ground composed of a tight grouping of small rocky islands, and are trapped somehow so that they need to stop on one of the islands and stop the magic that keeps them from leaving. There could be a few mounds on the biggest middle island where a hag or two tend to the dead in between revering the undead god in your world. They are to become the latest sacrifices....


Or a viking (?) ship that was used to honor a dead king sails near, and the boat is scorched but still afloat. If they go near, they see some treasure in the ship as well as the body of the king in the narrow ship. Once they board they are attacked by the corpse (treat as a mummy I suppose) with some special abilities, such as his body starts flaming once it moves and it can summon a water elemental to pummel the PCs ship.


They could see some strange fish passing by the boat every so often, and if they spear one and eat it, they have to make a save vs. poison. They might not be able to find anything else to eat if the lake is especially large and they are in the center.


If they can see land the whole time and they come close to it, they are attacked by a primitive tribe that follows them for a few days along the shore and in canoes that stay close to the shore. If they venture further out into the waters they discover why the canoes stayed close to the shore - a giant whatever (squid? dragon? dragon turtle?) rises up from the depths and gives chase.

 

[alsih2o]

when living at a summer camp on lake erie i was mazed at the huge sand cliffs.

there were some martins that lived in the sand cliffs, darting in and out of tiny holes at amazing speeds.

if these critters were like semiintelligent, thieving stirges things could get interesting. having to retrive your stuff from tiny holes in a fragile, constantly collapsing sand cliff.

also, waterspouts. violent water tornadoes. awesome stuff. storms rise quickly over large bodies of water it seems.

vary the depth. in the real world lagre lakes are frequently very shallow. a shallow spot on the middle of a lake that is hard to row or sail over makes for an interesting quandry. knee depp in water miles form nowhere is a great encounter setup. especially if the water is drowning deep all around.

 

[alsih2o]

when living at a summer camp on lake erie i was mazed at the huge sand cliffs.

there were some martins that lived in the sand cliffs, darting in and out of tiny holes at amazing speeds.

if these critters were like semiintelligent, thieving stirges things could get interesting. having to retrive your stuff from tiny holes in a fragile, constantly collapsing sand cliff.

also, waterspouts. violent water tornadoes. awesome stuff. storms rise quickly over large bodies of water it seems.

vary the depth. in the real world lagre lakes are frequently very shallow. a shallow spot on the middle of a lake that is hard to row or sail over makes for an interesting quandry. knee depp in water miles form nowhere is a great encounter setup. especially if the water is drowning deep all around.

 

[ThaDium]

Thanks!

Nice! Thanks for the quick responses.

So far, I'm really digging Tonguez' Raft Islands, and I think I may connect that to the knee deep water concept from alsih2o. Seems like it could lead to an interesting encounter.

I'm digging the Festival of Lights idea from Tonguez too.

alsih2o: That martins in sand cliffs idea is just great in general. Doesn't need to be near a lake. I'm thinking I can drive my players nuts with it as a pesky game world rodent. I may also connect it to the hobbit slaves. They could be just small enough to get into the tunnels and retreive the stolen goods. And if there's a cave in, oh well.

I've always loved the visual of people in a boat being pursued by others on the land following along the coastline. Thanks for reminding me MarauderX.

Anyway, thanks again for all the ideas. I hope there's more to come.

BTW, Joshua Dyal what is the story of Lake Bonneville? I haven't heard it.

-ThaDium

 

[ThaDium]

Pirates!

Just got a burst. I'm thinking the low water raft islands could be a pirate haven. Adds to the mysterious vibe.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The great lakes freeze over (in most winters), this opens up a quick route for travel and trade during those months. This could be applied to to your game but it could also be the time of raids from enemies, say like frost gaints! I don't think I would make it an annual thing but once every 20 years or such.